The letters column of the April 20 issue of the (non-weekly)
_Princeton_Alumni_Weekly_ contains some information that may
be of interest here.
In reply to an offensive (I would say, amazingly offensive,
except that in the context of letters to the PAW it's just run
of the mill) letter from Walter Guzzardi '42, which begins
Perhaps my dislike of the university's action
in extending spousal benefits to the partners
of homosexual employees (Notebook, February 23)
would diminish if the university, or PAW, would
supply the answers to these questions:
What do the data show about the experience of
Stanford and Chicago? How many homosexual partners
has each homosexual employee there had, on average,
over the course of a year? ... ,
the editor solicited a reply from Richard R. Spies, VP for
finance and administration. It is as follows.
The university has not yet worked out all the details
of the registration process for domestic partners of
faculty and staff members who wish to become eligible
for health benefits and other programs available to
spouses. Those wishing to register their domestic
partners must confirm their financial interdependence,
which will include verification that the partners take
responsibility for each other's loans and other liabilities,
both current and those yet to be incurred, as well as joint
responsibility for their housing and other living costs.
They must also confirm that they have been living together
as domestic partners for at least six months.
If the relationship ends for any reason, the faculty
or staff member will be required to notify the university
immediately, and there will be a specified waiting period
(e.g., six months) before that faculty or staff member can
register a different person for domestic-partner benefits.
These terms and conditions are similar to those in place at
other universities with extended health benefits to same-sex
partners, and there is no evidence of abuse or unusually
heavy claims by faculty and staff members and their domestic
partners at these institutions.
Lee Rudolph